


Afterward

by solemnlyremy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Depression, Fluff, M/M, Sectumsempra, Sectumsempra Scars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 11:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14715054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solemnlyremy/pseuds/solemnlyremy
Summary: Harry sneaks up to the hospital wing after the Sectumsempra incident to apologize and an unlikely friendship blooms





	1. Chapter 1

Harry couldn’t sleep that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw water mixed with the blood that was spilling out of Draco Malfoy’s body. The guilt was starting to eat him up. While his roommates were sleeping peacefully, Harry was lying on his bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

He tried to clear his head and closed his eyes again. Blood on the floor, sobs echoing through the washroom. Harry sat up and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes so hard he saw flashes of light. Then he got up, sneaking out of the room and letting his feet carry him to the hospital wing. In his haste, Harry forgot his invisibility cloak, but he didn’t care. If he did get caught he’s just have something else to worry about. Something else to take his mind off of the horrible thing he’s done.

Though, no one did come across Harry on his way. He opened the door quietly, finding that Madam Pomfrey was asleep in her office. He spotted Malfoy asleep on the other side of the room. Now that Harry was here by his bedside, he didn’t quite know what to do. So he just stared. There were bandages wrapped around Malfoy. Despite the fact that he knew Madam Pomfrey could close up those cuts in no time, Harry was shocked to see blood seeping through them.

Malfoy started to stir. He winced as he moved in his sleep. The pain must have been great because those little movements woke him up. It made Harry feel so much worse. Why had he come here?

His brain must not have been in control of his speech because whispered “Malfoy.”

The other boy’s head whipped around and grunted out of pain and surprise when he saw Harry kneeling next to his bed. “Potter.” He whispered back, trying to put some malice in his voice, but the fear could be heard clear as day. “Get out.”

“Let me apologise.” He said desperately.

“Apologise? You almost murdered me. Stay away from me.” Malfoy sneered.

“I know we’ve never seen eye to eye, but I never wanted to kill you. You have to believe me.”

“Why should I?”

“Please, Draco.” The use of his first name quieted the blond, allowing Harry to talk. “I found this potions book with notes in the side. That’s why I’ve been doing so well this year. In the book was the spell I used, but it didn’t say what it did. All it said was that it was ‘for enemies’ which I now realise is so daft. I don’t really see you as an enemy anymore. I thought it’d be harmless.”

Harry took a breath; Draco remained still. “But that’s not an excuse. I shouldn’t have used a spell if I had no idea what it did.” He stood up and sat on the edge of Draco’s bed. The boy flinched away from Harry. “I’m sorry, Draco. I’m so sorry and I’m glad you’re alright.”

Malfoy had his arms folded across his chest and was silent for a moment. “I knew you weren’t actually that good at potions.”

Harry crunched up his face in confusion. “That’s what you took away from all of that?” Malfoy started to chuckle and slapped a hand over his mouth. “What’s so funny?”

“You’ve taken my place.” Harry didn’t understand. “Think about it. You’re good at potions, you follow me around, and you tried to kill me.”

“I wasn’t actually trying to-”

“I know.” Draco cut him off. “Just thought it was funny.”

There was another moment of silence before Harry asked. “Why were you crying?”

The small grin that dawned Malfoy’s face faded as fast as it appeared. His eyes started watering. Then a tear slipped down his cheek and Harry moved to sit right by the boy’s shoulder. He used his thumb to wipe away the tear. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

Draco drew in a shaky breath. “Help me.” He choked out. “I don’t wanna die, Harry.” He took a shuddering gasp. “I don’t wanna kill anyone.”

“Kill? Does- does Voldemort-” Draco flinched. “-want you to kill someone?”

“Dumbledore.” He gasped. “I got this stupid mark on my arm and he’ll kill me if I don’t kill him. I don’t know what to do.”

“Dumbledore can help you. He’ll keep you safe.”

“My parents-”

“He can help them too. The Order can help you.”

Draco shook his head. “He’ll find out-”

“He won’t. They’ll keep you and your family safe, I promise.”

“Why should I trust you? I just told you I’m a Death Eater and you want the Order to protect me?”

Harry shrugged. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t choose this.”

“My parents did.”

“They’re not you.”

Draco placed his head on Harry’s shoulder, clearly exhausted. “Okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And I am sorry for what I did.”

“That’s okay.” Draco murmured then picked his head up. “Does this make us friends now?”

Harry grinned slightly and turned his head to look at the other boy. He decided he liked sleepy Draco. There was no filter to his words. He just said what he thought. “I sure hope it does.”

The boy hummed, smiled, and put his head back on Harry’ shoulder. “Good.”


	2. Chapter 2

Harry snuck back up to the Gryffindor common room around five in the morning. He sat with Draco long after he fell asleep. It was quite a struggle to move the boy from his shoulder without waking him up again. Harry still harboured a guilty burden in the pit of his stomach, but he had to admit, he couldn’t help but feel like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

The next day, he saw that Draco was up and about as though he didn’t almost just bleed to death. In their conversation the other night, the boys had agreed that they were now friends, however Harry didn’t know how to be friends with Draco. They’d been fight for as long as they’d known each other. Harry didn’t even know if the Slytherin knew what he was saying as he was so tired.

That question was soon answered when the boy came up to him in a near empty hallway. “Potter!” He heard the all too familiar voice call. Harry turned around. “I just wanted to thank you for last night. I don’t think I ever would’ve gone for help if it weren’t for you, well, will be going for help. I’m going to talk to the Headmaster after classes.” Draco told him once he caught up for him.

“It’s really the least I could do. I am truly sorry.” A small smile made its way onto Malfoy’s face. Harry realized that he was more guarded now that he’s gotten some sleep. Though some of the boy that was present last night shone through. “Would you like me to come with you?”

“Oh! Er, I wouldn’t want to-”

“You wouldn’t be. I have a lesson with him at eight. Besides, I know the password to his office.”

“I suppose that would help. Meet me in the alcove outside of the Great Hall after dinner.”

“Alright.” Harry said and nodded his head. They went their separate ways, yet Harry couldn’t stop thinking about Draco all day. It was a common theme this year, he realized. Though it was no longer in an obsessive, as Hermione and Ron put it, kind of way. It was more of a want to be with him. He thought that after he found out what Draco was hiding, he’d no longer feel the need to follow him around. And he didn’t want to follow him necessarily, it was more like he wanted to take a leisurely stroll with the boy and talk about anything and everything.

Harry wasn’t aware of the reason why, but nevertheless he made up and excuse to Ron and Hermione and all but sprinted to the alcove where Draco was waiting. He’d seen him walk out of the Great Hall five minutes earlier. The boy was now leaning against a wall and biting into a green apple with a sort of elegance that Harry never knew one could have while eating an apple. His heart gave an unexpected jolt.

“Malfoy.” He greeted. Draco looked up. They stood facing each other until the crowd outside thinned. So their friendship would be a secret, Harry guessed. It was strange, but also made sense in a way. Anyone who saw a them being friendly would probably assume that Malfoy was using him for information. Or maybe the other way around.

They walk in silence together to the headmaster’s office. “I expect you told them, haven’t you?” Draco asked after a while. “Weasley and Granger.”

“You know, I though once I found out that I’d tell them right away. I don’t know if you know this, but I’ve sort of been following you around all year.”

“Well, you weren’t exactly subtle.” He drawled.

“It’s never really been my specialty.” They both chuckled lightly. It made Harry’s stomach flutter. “Ron and Hermione seemed to think I should give it up. Said I was being paranoid, that you weren’t up to anything. But I was right-”

“That’s a first.” Draco interrupted.

Harry playfully shoved him, rolling his eyes. “Anyway… I didn’t tell them.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Huh.” Draco shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned softly. “Thanks.” They arrived at the gargoyle statue that guarded Dumbledore’s office and Harry gave the password. The statue started moving upwards, revealing a spiral staircase.

“Have you ever been in his office before?”

“Once.” Draco replied. “Start of this year. Ask me if I wanted to tell him anything. I expect he knew the Dark Lord assigned me a task.” He bit his lip nervously as the staircase stopped spinning and they were standing outside of a door. Harry put a hand on his shoulder which seemed to calm him a bit.

Harry knocked on the door. It swung open automatically and they walked in. “Harry, you’re early. Wha-” He stopped as soon as he saw Draco standing next to him. “Ah, Mister Malfoy.”

“I- I need your help. I know I have no right to ask for it, but…”

“Help shall always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.” Dumbledore stated.

“Right yes. I just-” His voice was starting to break again. His breath was increasing. “He wants me to kill you.” Draco blurted out rapidly. “He wants me to kill you or he’ll kill my family. He’ll kill me.” He was shaking rather hard now so Harry intertwined their fingers in an attempt to steady him, which worked a bit.

To both their surprise, Dumbledore smiled. “As it so happens, I am aware of this. You will stay here for the remainder of the school year and be relocated to Order headquarters for the summer. You’re mother will be taken there immediately. Both of you will have an anti-tracking charm placed upon you so strong even Lord Voldemort can’t break it.”

“What about my father?”

“You’re father is far too involved in the Death Eaters party by now. My sincerest apologies, but we cannot risk bringing him along.”

Draco exhaled. “Thank you.” He said, barely above a whisper.

“Now, Harry and I have lessons as I’m sure he’s told you. He will see you at a later time.”

The Slytherin nodded and reluctantly let go of Harry’s hand. “Oh, and I’ve been mending a Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Hidden Things. To let Death Eaters into the castle.” He added guiltily.

“I will see to it that it is destroyed at once.”

“Okay.” He looked from Dumbledore to Harry before he walked out the door, closing it behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: mentions of suicide

Harry found he couldn’t focus once they dove into yet another memory. He knew it was important and he should at least try, but any and all attempts failed. His mind just kept trailing back to a certain blond. Harry was relieved when the lesson was over. He marched out of the room and let his feet carry him up to the astronomy tower, not entirely knowing why.

Once he arrived, he spotted Draco sitting there, his hair stained with moon light, grey eyes looking at the sky. He turned around when he heard footsteps. “Oh, it’s you.” Draco relaxed and directed his attention to the stars once again. He patted the space next to him, indicating that Harry’s presence was welcome and that he should stay. The Gryffindor sat next to him, so close that when he crossed his legs to mimic Draco’s position their knees touched.

“How were lessons?” Draco asked. His voice was meek and distant. His eyes, though pointing upward, looked like they were staring at something far far away.

“Alright.” Harry looked at him worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” The boy lied, the same distant sound was emitted from his mouth. Harry gently took Draco’s hand in his which made Draco turn his head. Harry gave him a look and Draco sighed, letting his head fall on his shoulder. “No. I’m not.” He took in a deep shuddering breath. “I feel like I should be. Now that this burden has been taken off of my shoulder. But it just feels like a new burden has replaced it. The Dark Lord could find me and kill me. Kill my mother before she’s relocated.”

Draco paused for a moment. “My father is going to die. They’re going to kill him for this. I’ve never been particularly fond of him, but… it still hurts.”

“I get it. I never knew my parents, yet I still miss them. Emotions are strange.”

Draco let out a strangled chuckled that sounded more like a sob. “Sometimes I just wish… I wish life could stop. If I just went to sleep and never woke up, I wouldn’t have to deal with any of this.” Harry felt hot tears fall on his skin as Draco buried his face in his shoulder.

It took Harry and moment to think of what to say to that. If he was being honest, he’d felt like that from time to time, but never shared it with anyone. “Don’t. Don’t wish that.” He made Draco look at him. His eyes were puffy and his face was wet. He looked miserable and broken, so Harry let his unoccupied hand rest on Draco’s shoulder. “We’ve only been friends for a day and that still seems ridiculous to me because it feels like we’ve been friends for a lifetime but… I know I’d be devastated if you died. If you ever feel like this again, come to me yeah?”

“Okay.” Draco whispered. “I’ve never had this. Someone I could talk to. Someone who understands. Though, you probably don’t understand everything I go through… but that’s okay.”

“Well, I have been told I’m a very good listener.”

Draco laughed through his tears. “Really? I find that hard to believe.” Harry just shrugged and smiled. The shift from the depressing mood was welcome as Draco laid on the floor, pulling Harry with him. They looked at the stars in a comfortable silence.

“You know, my mother used to point out my constellation to me whenever she could. Said that my ancestors made up the stars in it.” He pointed to the sky.

“I’ve never been particularly good at seeing these things.” Harry admitted.

Draco chuckled softly and took the boy’s pointer finger to direct his line of vision in the correct place. “You see those stars that make a trapezoid?” Harry nodded. “That’s the head of the dragon, then those stars that make a sort of squiggly line are the body.”

“Oh, I see it now.”

“When my grandfather died, my mother told me that’s where he went, that he became a star.”

“That’s beautiful.” Harry bit his lip and silence fell over them for the second time that night. “Sirius is a star, isn’t it?”

Draco nodded and used Harry’s finger to point to the star. “Part of the constellation Canis Major. The brightest star in the northern sky.” He said barely above a whisper.

Harry felt a lump form in his throat. “D- do you think he’s up there?” He asked quietly, turning his head to look at Draco. The other boy was already looking back at him.

“I do.” Draco told him. Harry felt a tear roll down his face, so he closed his eyes. “You two were close, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.” Harry choked out. “It’s a nice thought to think he’s up there with Mum and Dad.” He was trying so hard not to cry out loud, but some sounds made there way out anyway. Draco rubbed circles in Harry’s hand. “I’m sorry for getting like this.”

“You shouldn’t apologise for crying, Harry.” The boy opened his eyes to look at Draco. He was fairly certain that was the first time he’d ever used his first name. “Besides, you’ve seen me cry twice now, it’s only fair.” Harry chuckled and wiped the tears from his face.

Draco cast a tempus charm to see that it was far later than either of them had thought. “We should probably go. If Filch catches you out of bed, he’ll have an aneurysm.” He stood, helping Harry up in the process.

“What about you?”

“Well, I’m a prefect so I can be out later.”

“Oh.”

“I could walk you back, if you like.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to-”

“You wouldn’t be.” Draco said, quoting what Harry had said only hours earlier. It made him smile.

“Alright then.” Harry grabbed his hand and looked up at the blond boy. “Let’s go.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Where have you been?” Hermione asked when Harry entered the Gryffindor common room. “Dumbledore couldn’t have kept you that late.”

“It just took a while.” He scratched the back of his head. “Where’s Ron?” Harry asked, changing the subject. Hermione pointed to the couch where his best friend was snoring with a book open on his chest. Harry poked him in the ribs which caused him to jerk up, the book falling to the floor.

“Wha- Harry!” He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “How were lessons?”

“They uh, they were good.”

“You’re avoiding my question, Harry” Hermione stated. “Where were you?”

“I-” He thought for a moment. “I went up to the astronomy tower after lessons. To clear my head.” He cleared his throat.

“Liar.” Hermione shook her head. “Who’s the mystery girl?”

“What? A girl? You didn’t tell me you fancied anyone.” Ron looked confused at this statement, his exhaustion wasn’t helping.

“I wasn’t meeting a girl!” Harry said truthfully, though his friends didn’t believe him. “I was there alone.”

“Was it Cho? Are you two getting back together?” She speculated. Harry was speechless and just shook his head in disbelief. “What about Luna? It’s Luna, isn’t it?”

“Loony? Really?” Ron questioned.

“It’s Luna.” Harry snapped which didn’t help his case that he wasn’t seeing her in secret, but he had grown to be friends with the girl and didn’t appreciate people insulting her. Even if those people were his friends as well. “And I’m not seeing her nor am I seeing anyone else.” He saw Hermione mouth the word ‘nor’ before he continued. “Now, if you two are done prying, I’m going to bed.” Ron and Hermione gave looks to each other as Harry stormed off to his dormitory.

The next morning, the trio made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast; the events from last night long forgotten. Harry saw Draco turn the corner and looked back to his friends. Hermione was deep into an explanation of some essay topic and Ron was trying to soak in every word seeing as they had to hand it in later that day.

There was barely anyone else was in the hallway, so he took a risk and sent Draco a small smile. The Slytherin gave one back, surreptitiously wiggling his fingers in a way of greeting. “Pansy!” Harry heard Draco called out after he passed them.

Hermione turned around at the sound. “Is that Malfoy?”

Harry pretended to see him for the first time. “Seems to be. I’m starving.” He said, shifting the focus onto breakfast. Ron agreed with this and started to walk more determinedly. Hermione, however, gave Harry a curious glance.

A minute later, they reached the Great Hall and sat down. Ron immediately dug into the food while Hermione pulled out a book, showing Ron a page and dog-earing it every once in awhile.

Draco walked in and shuffled to the Slytherin table with Pansy at his side. Harry caught his eye and the boy raised an eyebrow at him jokingly. Harry looked back down to his food trying to conceal his smile.

Hermione followed her friend’s gaze, not that Harry noticed. “Huh.” The noise escaped her throat before she could stop herself. Both boys looked at her.

“Wha-?” Ron asked with his mouth full.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Hermione waved him off. Harry looked at her strangely before returning to his food.

The rest of the day was dull for the most part. Harry, quite literally, ran into Draco later that morning. He was reading over an essay that was due the next class and he rammed right into the boy. Though it wasn’t entirely his fault as Draco’s nose was stuck in a letter.

“Sorry.” They said in unison. Malfoy looked distressed, Harry realized after he checked to make sure they were alone in the corridor.

“You okay?”

“I feel like you’ve been asking me that a lot lately.” Draco sighed. “My mother wrote me from headquarters. She said the journey was okay and she arrived safely.”

Harry settled a comforting hand on Malfoy’s shoulder. “You’re thinking about your father, aren’t you?” The boy nodded, looking solemnly at the parchment he was holding. “Hey,” Draco looked up and Harry said they only comforting thing he could think of. “It’s gonna be alright.”

“Right.”

Silence and heavy topics seemed to be a trend with them. A moment passed and Harry got an idea. “Hey,” he said again. “There’s this room on the seventh floor that shows up when you need something-”

“The Room of Requirement.”

“Y- yeah. How did you kn-”

“I was fixing a Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Hidden Things.”

“Yes, I know. I was there when you told Dumbledore.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “That is the Room of Requirement, you dolt.”

Harry laughed lightly. “Right, well, I thought that we needed a place to meet. We can’t keep meeting in the astronomy tower unless we want to get caught. I was thinking we could go there.”

Draco looked shocked. “You actually want to spend time with me?”

“Yeah. We’re friends, aren’t we? Why else did I talk to you for hours last night? Besides, you still need to see me cry one more time.”

The blond boy smiled slightly. “Alright then. That sounds fun. When?”

“How about tomorrow night? After dinner?” Draco nodded and they both went on their way.

***

Hermione pulled Harry aside as Ron was distracted talking to the rest of the Quidditch team. “Well, I was right about the hair colour of the person you were seeing. Blond”

“What do you mean, ‘Mione?”

“You’re seeing Malfoy!” She exclaimed.

Harry hushed her and looked around nervously to see if anyone had heard. “We’re not exactly making it public. How the hell did you figure that out?” He whispered.

“It was obvious.” Harry waited for her to elaborate. “First, you used the word ‘nor’ while you were talking last night which you clearly picked up from him. Then you failed to notice that he walk past you in the corridor this morning even though you’ve been stalkinging him all year.” Harry began to protest, but Hermione wouldn’t let him. “And during breakfast you started smiling after you saw him come in.” They were quiet for a while. “So, you and Malfoy. I can’t say I’m surprised, especially after Viktor and Bill.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You being bisexual, of course.”

Harry stuttered for a moment. “Where are you getting that from?” He had only been more confused when he was taking a History of Magic exam. Though the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He did find Krum rather attractive and, looking back on it now, he definitely had a crush on Bill.

“Well, you’re dating Malfoy and you dated Cho.” Hermione reasoned.

“Dating? Who said anything about dating? We’re just friends.”

“Oh. Why are you hiding it then?”

“Because it’d look suspicious if we just started being nice to each other, wouldn’t it? I mean, it’s Malfoy! Speaking of, you seem very calm about the two of us being friends.”

Hermione bit her lip. “To be honest, I sort of saw this coming with the way you’ve been acting all year. And he’s been less… horrible as of late.” Harry nodded, playing with the sleeves of his robe. “So, you’re not bi?”

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it until you brought it up. All I know is I fancy girls, but I fancy blokes too.”

“Alright.”

Ron returned at Harry’s side after that, patting his shoulder lightly. “This homework’s not going to do itself, is it?” He said, and the trio promptly plopped themselves in front of the fireplace. Hermione and Ron pulled out their books and parchment and got to work, though Harry’s mind was somewhere else entirely, focusing on only one questions which wasn’t on any of his homework. Could he be bi?


	5. Chapter 5

Harry went to sleep last night with more nightmares. First, it was Dumbledore dying on the journey to retrieve the horcrux, though he did not know what the place looked like yet, an image of the long dark hallway leading to the Hall of Mysteries appeared, and at the end were two pedestals. On them were the Slytherin locket and the Hufflepuff cup. Him and Dumbledore walked near them and as the older wizard reached out to grab the locket, Nagini jumped out of nowhere and struck Dumbledore, leaving him for dead.

Harry woke up with a jolt, breathing hard. He let his head fall back on the pillow in relief and he promptly fell asleep again. His next dream started out in a much nicer setting. He was standing in a nice room with white furniture and a fluffy polar bear skin rug in front of a fireplace. Harry turned his head to see Draco Malfoy walking toward him with determination, cupping his face, and kissing him passionately.

He only enjoyed it for a fraction of a second before he tasted something metallic in his mouth. Harry drew back to see that blood was dripping out of Draco’s mouth and red stained through his shirt. Draco collapsed and was about to hit the floor before Harry caught him. He didn’t know what to do and had to watch as blood seeped from Draco’s body onto the white rug.

This time he woke up to Ron shaking him awake. “Mate!” He screamed, drawing back when he saw he’d done what he had set out to do. “You alright?” Harry nodded. He rubbed his eyes as if trying to erase the images from his memory.

Before the nightmare, he was rather looking forward to seeing the Slytherin, but every time he saw his face, he was overwhelmed with guilt. Multiple times during the day he considered cancelling their meeting in the Room of Requirement. Though his want to be around the boy greatly outweighed his guilt.

So, he was walking passed the blank wall right after he finished dinner and opened up the door that appeared there. All the breath was knocked out of him as he saw the interior of the room. Though mostly everything was arranged entirely differently from the way it looked in his dream, the white couch and rug were exactly the same. They threw him off so hard that he failed to notice that Draco was already sitting there, reading a book.

“Hey.” He heard him say. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Harry was brought back to reality. “Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing.” Draco gave him a look, telling him he didn’t believe it. “I’ve just had a stressful day. Having nightmares, contemplating my sexuality. The fun stuff.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize-” Harry braced himself for some homophobic remarks seeing as how he was raised. But the end of that sentence surprised him. “that you had nightmares.”

“Um, yeah. I haven’t had them in a while but… last night they decided to come as a double act.”

“Do you wanna talk about them?”

Draco was looking at him so intensely that Harry found it hard to say no. So he recounted the first one with as many details as he could, having to explain what horcruxes were along the way. It shocked him how much he trusted Malfoy despite their past. He found himself telling him what he was doing in all those lessons with Dumbledore and what he found out.

Then he came to the second dream. Harry hesitated at first before telling Draco that he was the subject of it. “But, like, not it a bad way, like the reason it was a nightmare wasn’t because of you. Well, it was, in a way, but-”

“Just get on with it, Potter!” Draco drawled, though when Harry looked over at him he saw a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Right, yes,” He told him about the dream, purposefully leaving out the part where they kissed. When he mentioned the part about the furniture, Draco looked around and seemed to realize why Harry blanched when he first walked into the room.

“Harry, you know I forgave you for hexing me, right?”

Harry nodded. “I still feel bad about it though.”

“You didn’t know what the spell did! I wouldn’t put it past you to do that, bloody reckless Gryffindor.” Harry didn’t lighten at this jab. “Alright, let’s talk about something else. You said you were contemplating your sexuality.”

Harry felt his face heat up. He supposed it was better than talking about how he almost killed the boy a short while ago. “Well, Hermione brought up that I had a bit of a thing for Bill Weasley back in the day.”

“And by back in the day you mean?”

“Two years ago.”

Draco nodded. “You have a bit of a thing for Weasleys, don’t you?” He teased with a hint of an emotion in his voice, though Harry couldn’t figure out what it was. He scrunched up his face in confusion. “Are you not currently going out with Ginny Weasley?”

“Oh! No, not at all. I mean, we kissed after the Quidditch match, but that’s it. It was all

just adrenaline, but I didn’t feel anything after that. We agreed to just be friends. Besides, I think she fancies Luna.”

“Lovegood and the Weaslette? I have to admit they would be quite adorable together.”

Harry smiled. “Speaking of, what’s going on with Pansy? Are you dating?”

Draco let out a laugh. “Goodness, no. No, both of us are about as straight as gillyweed. We’re just friends.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were gay.” Draco smiled weakly. “I think I might be bi. Hermione sure seems to think so.”

“Yes, Granger truly is the brightest witch of her age.” Harry raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

“You know I will.” Draco hit him with his book. “I mean, she knows we’re friends. Figured it out yesterday. That’s okay right?”

“H- how did she react?”

“Surprisingly okay with it.”

“That’s… interesting. As long as she doesn’t tell anyone. I kind of want to keep being your friend without people speculating that I’m trying to kill you.”

“Well, they already think you’re going to do that.” Harry teased and Draco elbowed him in the ribs playfully. “I’m joking! I’m joking!” They laughed together for a moment. “Don’t worry, she won’t tell anyone. I’d rather not be warned against hanging out with you every five seconds.You’re a pretty decent bloke.”

Draco sighed. “So are you, Potter. So are you.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this fic is based off of the plot of Half Blood Prince. The general plot of Harry going to find the horcruxes ensues and because he trusts Draco now, he knows all about Dumbledore letting Harry come with him to find the horcrux.

“‘Mione! You have to help me.” Harry pulled her aside for their group of friends as they were walking through Hogsmeade. He would have taken Draco, but he had gotten a detention from Professor Sprout for not completing his homework five days in a row.

Hermione wrenched her arm out of his grip. “What is it, Harry?” She asked a bit irritably.

“Sorry. Draco's birthday is tomorrow and I don’t know what to get him.”

“How should I know? You’re the one who’s been stalking him all year.”

“I wasn’t stalking him! I thought he was up to something, and I was right, wasn’t I?” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you’re good at this stuff. Besides, he likes the same sort of stuff as you. Both of you read obsessively and like… smart things.” Harry said hesitantly. The woman rolled her eyes. “Oh, you know what I mean!”

“Yes, I do.” She shook her head and fell into thought. A few moments later, she snapped her fingers together. “I know what to get him. Do you know if he likes muggle books? Even if he doesn’t, I know some books by warlocks that writes fiction novels that he would like.” Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged him off to a bookstore that was a short walk away. It was like nothing Harry had seen in the Wizarding World. There were books soaring around, moving displays outside each section, and workers that were charming novels to read themselves out loud. There was even a muggle book section.

Hermione walked through the aisles, pulling books off the shelves and cradling them in her arms. “Aha!” She exclaimed as she pulled out a novel from the muggle section. Hermione handed the book to Harry.

“ _Great Expectations _?”__

“Yes, it’s about a boy who lives in England in the late 1800’s and he’s born into a fairly poor social class. Then one day he has this mysterious benefactor who wants to help him become a gentleman, and it’s kind of his journey through all of this.”

“That sounds… interesting.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Well, if he doesn’t like that then…” she said while walking to the mystery section. “Maybe he’ll like this. It was written by a witch. A wizard boy from a rich family goes on a tour of Europe and gets lost and he has to learn how to deal with not having all this money anymore.”

Harry nodded. “Thanks, ‘Mione.”

The next day, he walked up to the Room of Requirement where he saw Draco already sitting there as usual. Though this time he was asleep. Harry smiled and walked over to him, kneeling beside the couch. Draco looked so calm while he was sleeping that Harry didn’t dare wake him up.

“Just because we’re friends now, doesn’t mean you can watch me sleep.” Malfoy said, making Harry jump. The boy smiled, but kept his eyes closed.

“I wasn’t-”

“Save it, Potter. You can’t argue with me today.” He opened sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His hair was sticking up in all direction which made Harry chuckle. He reached out to smooth it down. An attractive blush spread over Draco’s face.

“You’re right. I can’t.” Harry held out the two wrapped packages he was holding and smirked. “Happy Birthday.”

Draco’s eyes widened, his blush intensifying. “Y- you got me a present?”

“Two presents actually.” Draco rolled his eyes. “We’re friends now. And all my friends get birthday presents.”

The Slytherin smiled and teared the first one open. “ _A Wizard’s Tour_? I think I’ve heard of this. This is the one where the wealthy wizard gets lost and has to deal with not having money, right.” Harry nodded. “Granger helped you pick these out, didn’t she?” Draco commented once he opened the second present.

Harry scratched the back of his neck. “Well, yeah.”

Draco chuckled. “Don’t worry, Potter. Thank you for putting in the effort. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten this good a present.”

“Really?”

“Father usually sends money. He used to send sweets until he decided I was too old for that. And my friends usually get me expensive decorative items. Not that I don’t appreciate that, but it’s nice to get something with a purpose.” Harry grinned. Draco looked away from the book and at the messy haired boy, smiling softly. “So, this is a muggle book, right? I’m sure I’ve heard of Charles Dickens before.”

“Yeah. It is. I didn’t know which one you’d like more, so I bought both.”

Draco flipped through the pages of _Great Expectations_ and hummed. “Thank you, Harry.” Right as he said that, a phoenix Patronus floated through the door. Dumbledore’s voice boomed out of it. _Meet me in my office_ , it said. The smile faded from the blond boy’s face. “Is that-”

“I think so.”

“So… you’re gonna go find a horcrux.” Harry nodded. “It could be dangerous.”

“I know. I just- I have to do this.” Draco nodded. “Hey, I’ll be okay. I’ll be with Dumbledore.”

Draco nodded again. They both stood up and walked to the door when he put a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “Just… be careful.”

Harry curled his hand around Draco’s and smirked. “I always am.” And with that, he left the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry apparated back into Hogsmeade. The cave and the horcrux long forgotten. All he was focused on was getting Dumbledore some help.

“Dumbledore!” He looked up to see Madam Rosmerta quickly walking towards them. “The Dark Mark! It’s over Hogwarts!” Harry looked up at the castle and could see, even from there, the skull with a serpent slithering out of it hovering above the astronomy tower. After summoning some broomsticks from Rosmerta and flying them up, they found that the tower was actually empty. Dumbledore was starting to collapse.

“Harry, get Snape.”

“I could get you Madam Pomfrey. Just hold on.” Harry pleaded.

“No, no. I need Severus. Get no one, but him. Put the cloak on.”

“Okay. I will.” But there was no need. As soon as he walked down the first flight of stair, he felt himself be immobilized. For the first time he realized that there was a battle raging below. Spells and screams could be heard as clear as day. Then many footsteps came from above.

The way Harry was positioned, he could see Draco being shoved into view by Greyback. His heart stopped as he saw the boy paler than ever, shaking like mad. Then more Death Eaters stepped in. Amycus and Alecto Carrow, Bellatrix Lestrange, and, lastly, Severus Snape.

“Severus.” Dumbledore greeted weakly.

“Hello, Dumbledore!” Bellatrix cackled. “I see you thought you could make one of our own turn.” She said, gesturing to Draco. “But you’re methods never work, old man! When will you learn? He’s going to kill you!”

“I don’t believe Draco would ever kill me.” Dumbledore said calmly. Harry saw tears slip silently down the blond boy’s face.

“Not willingly, no.” She smiled wickedly. “Though he could be persuaded. _Crucio!_ ” An ear-splitting shierk escaped his mouth.

“That’s enough, Bella. You’ve already killed his father.” Snape spoke slowly.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and the screaming stopped. Draco laid there for a moment, sobbing. “He betrayed us! He befriended the Potter boy, for Merlin’s sake!” Then she pointed her wand at Draco again. “Get up!” The boy shook his head. Greyback dug his nails into Draco’s scaled and roughly pulled him up.

“Raise you wand! Raise it!”

Draco did as he was told. “ _Expelliarmus!_ ”

Dumbledore’s wand flew out of his hand. “Draco, you are no assassin.”

“How do you know who I am? I trusted you! You told me my family would be safe! Now I’m in the same position I would’ve been if I hadn’t let you help me. Except I’m worse off! My father is dead because of you!”

“That’s right, Draco! Express your anger! Kill him!” Bellatrix exclaimed maniacally.

The boy turned around to face Snape. “And you! I knew I couldn’t trust you! Following me around, trying to get me to tell you my plan. The only person who ever helped me was Har-” He was cut off by Bellatrix casting another torture curse at him. Draco fell to the floor. Once she lifted the curse, Draco didn’t move. He had passed out from the pain.

“Severus.” Dumbledore brought attention back to himself. “Severus, please.”

Everything was still for a moment. Harry knew what would happen before Snape even lifted his wand. “ _Avada Kedavra._ ” A flash of green light, then Dumbledore falling from the astronomy tower. The only noise that could be heard after that was the sound of Draco stirring. Greyback lifted him by the hair again, but before he could drag him away from the scene, Snape snatched him away. He dragged Draco out of the room with a whip of his cloak.

Harry didn’t realize that he had been mobilized until everyone had exited the tower. He supposed Dumbledore was really dead if the jinx no longer held him. Once he got over the shock, vengeance overtook him. His anger at Snape grew for killing Dumbledore. His absolute loathing at the lot of them for hurting Draco.

Harry ran after them, out into the battle, not even caring what was happening. All his focus was on saving Draco and hurting Snape as much as he could.

He finally caught up with them near Hagrid’s hut, which was set on fire by Bellatrix. “Snape!” He yelled, allowing rage to fill him up. “He trusted you!” Harry sent a hex at him, but he blocked it easily.

“Funny how when people trust they always end up worse off.” He glanced out Draco and gestured for him to run after the others, but Draco didn’t see. He was too busy staring at Harry.

“ _Sectumsemp-_ ” But Harry was disarmed and thrown back before he could even complete the curse.

“Harry!” Draco exclaimed and ran to him, kneeling beside him.

“You dare use my own spells against me?”

Harry propped himself up on his elbows. He felt Draco place a hand on his shoulder. “Your  spells? No, that’s not- You’re the Half-Blood Prince?”

“That’s right, Potter.” He raised his wand and pointed it directly at Harry.

“No!” Draco screamed and got on his feet. “ _Expelliar-_ ” He was also disarmed and thrown back, landing next to Harry.

Then another scream came, and Harry saw Hagrid run into his flaming house and come out a minute later with a howling Fang. The half-giant saw Snape standing there, his wand pointed at the two boys on the ground, and came running after him. “You coward!” Snape turned to look at him, and with one last glare at Draco and Harry, he left into the night. “Are you two alright?” He helped Harry up first, then Draco. They dusted themselves off and the blond boy suddenly became aware of  the flaming house behind them.

“Hagrid! You’re house!” He observed, taking Harry’s hand and dragging him closer. Without even thinking, Draco cast _Aguamenti_ to start putting out the fire. Hagrid stepped beside him, casting the same charm with his pink umbrella. Lastly, Harry joined them.

It took them the better part of ten minutes before all the fire was put out. Draco’s eyes drooped and Harry was afraid he would pass out. Instead he turned around, gently ran his thumb across a cut on Harry’s cheek, and asked him if he was okay.

“I should be asking _you_ that.”

“You were on the astronomy tower, weren’t you?” Harry nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t do anything.”

“I disarmed him.” Draco’s voice cracked. “He couldn’t defend himself and that was my fault.”

Harry shook his head, pushing the hair off of the other boy’s forehead. “He was weak after we found the horcrux. Couldn’t even apparate back to Hogsmeade. It would’ve happened either way.”

“Still, I- I’m so sorry about Dumbledore.” He whispered.

“What about Dumbledore?” Hagrid asked. The boys pulled apart, not realizing how close they’d gotten. “He’s alright, yeah?”

Harry shook his head and for the first time since it happened, he started crying. Draco wrapped his arms around him and allowed the boy to bury his head into the crook of his neck.

Draco took a deep breath, and what he said next just made Harry sob harder.

“Dumbledore’s dead.”


	8. Chapter 8

The funeral. Harry didn’t know if he could handle it. But he went anyway; Ron, Hermione, and Draco by his side. He walked to his seat. Unexpectedly, his eyes were bone dry and he felt the odd desire to laugh at everything around him. A tiny wizard trying to balance a tall hat on his head, Hagrid trying to aid Grawp into a seat in the back, Flitwick trying to communicate to the Merpeople what was happening.

He focused on Draco’s hand as the blond boy led him to their seats and the ceremony began. Harry couldn’t quite focus on any of the eulogies given nor when they magically built a coffin around Dumbledore’s body. He just gripped the fake horcrux in his pocket as tightly as he gripped Draco’s hand. He noticed the centaurs and merpeople and Grawp sobbing in the corner.

Soon, it was over. Everyone got up to leave except Harry. “You go on without me.” He told Ron, Hermione, and Draco. “I’ll catch up.” The Gryffindors present left after giving each other a concerned look. The Slytherin, however, stayed, never taking his eyes off of Harry.

They sat in silence for a moment, Harry putting his head on Draco’s shoulder. “Thank you for being here. I know you didn’t want to come.”

“You’ve been there for me when I wasn’t in a good place. Now I’m here for you. Even if it means being glared at by everyone.” Harry hummed. “Besides, I get closure this way, if that makes sense.”

The messy haired boy picked up his head. “I want to tell you something.” He blurted out.

“Alright.” Harry stood up, dragging Draco with him, and brought him to the edge of the Black Lake. “Going to drown me, Potter?”

“Hush up, Malfoy. This is important.” Draco smiled lightly. “Okay, here it goes. I realized that I don’t have forever to do things. I could die next year, next month, next week, or even tomorrow. Who knows?” He looked straight into Malfoy’s eyes. “I don’t have all the time in the world to tell you this. I know this isn’t exactly the right time, but…” He trailed off.

“But?” Draco urged him to continue.

“I like you. A lot actually.” Draco’s eyes widened. “Obviously, you don’t have to say anything, but-” He was cut off by the boy kissing him passionately. Harry wrapped his arms around the back of Draco’s neck, pulling him closer. The Slytherin’s hands were in his hair. They only pulled apart when they heard a gasp come from behind them.

“Malfoy? Really, Harry? Out of all the girls and blokes out there.” Ron yelled out. Harry laughed and let his forehead rest against Draco’s until he got there, followed by Hermione.

“Calm down, Ron.” She rolled her eyes.

“But, ‘Mione.” He whined. “It’s Malfoy.”

“I’m perfectly aware of who it is.” She turned to face Draco. “If you hurt him, you’re dead. You understand?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Draco replied.

“So you’re alright with it?” Harry asked.

“I’m not thrilled, but I’ll get used to it. He makes you happy and that’s all that matters.”

Harry smiled, then he got a really somber look on his face. “I’m actually glad you’re all here. We need to talk.” Everyone looked at him intently. “I have to find the horcruxes and destroy them. I know that’s what Dumbledore would’ve wanted me to do.”

“Yes, obviously.” Hermione started. “I’ll gather up some books on the subject. I should probably pack emergency stuff just in case.”

“Definitely. I’ll figure out some way to tell my mum I’ll be gone without giving her details.”

“I’ll help you out with that.” Draco offered. “The Burrow is the new Order Headquarter after all.” Ron reluctantly nodded.

“Wait, no-”

“Honestly, Harry, did you expect we’d let you do this alone?” Hermione scoffed.

“We’re in this together, mate.” Ron added.

Draco took a hold of Harry’s hand. “We are.”

“I’m not letting you risk your lives for me.”

“Like we haven’t done that before.” Ron said.

Harry looked from Hermione to Ron to Draco before saying, “I suppose there’s no persuading you.”

“You should know how stubborn I am by now.” Draco jested. “And you won’t last a day without Granger and me. We’re the brains of this operation.” To everyone’s surprise, Hermione chuckled. Then everyone else started laughing. As long as they were together, Harry thought, they’d be alright. Despite the hardships they had ahead, everything is going to be okay.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation into the 7th Harry Potter book of what would happen if Draco and Harry were in a relationship. I'll be following the same major plot points in Deathly Hallows

The Dursleys left earlier that day and Harry was sitting in his room, slowly packing his stuff. He knew someone was coming to fetch him, but he didn’t exactly know when. That house had brought him so much suffering, yet it felt strange to know that that was the last time he’d ever be in that house. 

Harry was cleaning out his trunk of any non essential items. He set aside  _ Hogwarts: A History _ and  _ A History of Magic _ . Anything with the word “History” in the title, Hermione would’ve packed anyway. 

At the bottom of his trunk, he found two things that made his heart feel heavy. It was the shards of the mirror Sirius had given him for Christmas so long ago. He picked up the biggest piece and cleaned out the rest of the broken glass. The other thing was a badge that said  _ SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY _ which changed to  _ POTTER SINKS _ if pressed. 

Harry hadn’t been allowed to contact anyone from the Wizarding World all summer, which meant he had no communication with Draco Malfoy. On the last day they saw each other, they’d finally kissed. On the train home, they sat close to each other, holding hands and talking in hushed voices. 

They were so worried about the war and what the future would bring that any talk of “what they were” was overlooked. Draco was going to the new headquarter for the Order which was located at the Burrow. His mother was already there, safe and sound. Harry had to go home to Privet Drive for one more summer. 

Harry smiled at the button, thinking about how far they’d all come since fourth year. Everything was different. Everything had changed in the course of three years. He decided to leave his trunk behind as well, so he grabbed his rucksack and placed the badge and mirror shard at the bottom. Then, he placed in a few clothing items and books he deemed important enough to take with him. 

It was at that moment that the doorbell rang. He slung his bag over his shoulders, grabbed Hedwig's cage, and made his way down the stairs. It was only when he got to the bottom that he stopped to think that it might be a trap. Harry set his stuff down and took out his wand, slowly moving toward the door. 

Through the peephole, he couldn’t see much. It was dark and something was obscuring his vision. He was about to fling the door open and hex whoever was out there when he heard Hagrid’s voice. “Harry? Ya in there?”

Harry let out a sigh of relief. He opened the door and hugged his friend. “Good tah see ya, Harry.” 

“You too, Hagrid.” 

Behind the half giant was his best friends, Ron and Hermione. Harry smiled brightly as they brought him into a group hug before filing into the kitchen after Hagrid. In came Bill, Fleur, Tonks, Remus, Fred, George, Mr. Weasley, Mad-Eye Moody, and Kingsley. Then, at the back of the big group, was Draco Malfoy. 

His blond hair was illuminated by the lamplights. He smiled sheepishly when he saw Harry. A broad grin spread across Harry’s face as the Slytherin walked inside the house. No one seemed to be calling for them, so Harry suspected they were giving them a little time alone. 

“So,” Draco started. “This is where you grew up.”

Harry nodded. “It is. That used to be my bedroom.” Harry stated, pointing to the cupboard under the stairs. 

Draco’s eyes widened. “You’re joking!” 

“I’m not.”

“Well, that’s just cruel.”

“The Dursleys weren’t very nice people.” Harry said. They stood in silence once more. He didn’t understand why it was so awkward. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they hadn’t seen each other for a while.“Can I kiss you now?” He asked, trying to diffuse the tension. 

Draco looked down at his feet as he stepped closer. He looked up and nodded. Harry wrapped his arms around Draco’s neck and kissed him. He could physically feel the tension melt away as the other boy combed his fingers through Harry’s hair. 

“I missed you.” Draco admitted when they pulled apart. Eyes still closed, foreheads were pressed together. 

Harry hummed. “I missed you too.” He was about to pulled Draco into another kiss when he heard Ron’s voice from the other room. “Oi, lovebirds! We don’t have all night!”

They laughed quietly to each other before joining the rest of the group. “Right, then.” Moody started. “Harry still has the Trace on him which means Apparation is out of the question. The Ministry has been infiltrated which means the Death Eaters are monitoring the Floo system. We’re going to have to use broom and thestrals.”

Harry nodded along with what he was say. He assumed it was all for his benefit since the others were probably briefed on this beforehand. “Now, the Death Eaters think Harry is being moved on his birthday, so we shouldn’t encounter any problems. Though, we can’t take any risks.”

“Constant vigilance.” Fred and George said in unison, trying to keep the smiles off their faced. 

Moody ignored them. “If the Death Eaters do show up, they won’t know which Harry to follow.” He said, popping open the trunk at his feet that was filled with small, empty flasks and a large bottle, filled with a chunky liquid, in the middle. Harry immediately recognized it as Polyjuice Potion. 

“No. Absolutely not.” 

“Told you he’d take it well.” Hermione said. 

“Yeah, imagine something went wrong and we all ended up being specky, scrawny gits forever.” Fred joked. 

“What if the Death Eaters know we’re moving today? What if one of them kills you because they thought you were me? What if-”

“Enough with the hypotheticals.” Draco spoke up. “We’re all over eighteen. We all know what we signed up for. We’ve all agreed to this, so there’s not much you can do to stop us.”

“For once, I agree with Malfoy.” Ron said. 

“I can stop you. You need a bit of my hair and I won’t give it to you.” Harry was prepared to run so no one could get a hold of him when Draco held up a small pair of scissors. 

“I knew you’d object to the plan so i cut some off while we were snogging.” He said with a mischievous smile. Hermione started giggling uncontrollably as Draco walked to the front of the room and placed the hairs into the potion. 

“Both of you are dead to me.” Harry glared at Draco and Hermione. Ron covered his mouth to keep from smiling. 

Moody poured out the potion into the empty flasks and passed them to Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Fleur, and Draco. “For those of you who’ve never had Polyjuice Potion before, it hurts like hell and will make you feel nauseated. Also, fair warning, it tastes like goblin piss.”

“Have a lot of experience in that area, do you Mad-Eye?” George asked. Moody glared at him. “Just trying to diffuse the tension.” He said before downing the potion. 

Everyone followed suit. Soon, there were six other Harrys standing around the real one. 

“Wow! We’re identical.” Said Fred and George. 

Moody threw a bag of shirts, pants, and glasses on the floor. Behind him were cages with stuffed snowy owls in them. “Get changed quickly. We’re already behind schedule.” He said, glancing in the direction of Harry and Draco. 

Harry turned to see Draco taking off the shirt he was previously wear– which was a bit loose on Harry’s body– and don a shirt from the bag. “I never thought the first time you undressed me would be like this.” Harry said. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll do it properly when we get to the Burrow.” Draco smirked. It was quite weird to have someone that looked exactly like him flirt with him, but Harry didn’t say anything. 

After Draco left to join Moody on a broom (after much hesitation), Hagrid came up to Harry. “Y’know, I was the one who brought you here when you was only a baby. You were no bigger than a bowtruckle. Now, yer all grown up. In a relationship. About to fight in a war.” 

“It’s going to be okay, right?” Harry asked nervously.

“Of course! Once we get to the Burrow, we’ll plan for the wedding then figure out what come next, eh?” 

Harry nodded. They all stepped outside and got with their partners. Harry put his rucksack and at his feet before getting into Hagrid’s sidecar, carrying Hedwig in his lap. He looked around at everyone, the determined look on their faces, and hoped no one would die because of him. Not tonight. 

  
  



End file.
